Black Widow

Ha! Black Widow gets her own thread? And why not. Iron Man 2 is coming out, Scarlett Johansen plays her (delightfully so), and you know there's going to be as much crap spotlighting Mickey Rourke's Whiplash and Scarlett's Widow as there can be. Thankfully, Captain Britain scribe Paul Cornell is not crap, and neither is his take on the much-fangled origin of Black Widow.

In issue #1, particularly in the opening salvo, Cornell takes a page from Larry Hama's current G.I. Joe: Origins with some high-octane espionage. For years, we've just loved to see the Widow show up in the most shocking way possible in our Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, or (later) Thunderbolts comic books. But how about her own story? She's just got as much confusion as Wolverine, or at least the female equivalent towards so. Cornell does right, easing readers into Natalia's history as an oddly chosen child, as well as tidbits of her relationships, with each flashback relating to the present day.

In all, the story starts off nice and easy, and should end up full of fire the more it goes, hopefully reaching a clear thesis and not a mangled bunch of info just for continuity's sake.

4/5 Bags&Boards - Excellent

Last edited by LOOSECANNON on Fri Apr 16, 2010 10:31 am; edited 1 time in total

Yeah this was really good. I loved seeing bits of Natasha's origin retold, especially the parts with Logan and Bucky. This book seems like it will showcase Black Widow's badassery, and that's definitely a good thing.

Boy does this Black Widow get around. Thing is, the notion of being "friendly" makes for great reading. Seeing Black Widow interact with Marvel's finest lads--as friend, former leader of Avengers, and oftentimes lover--makes things quite interesting. Cornell does a great job pushing this mini at a rabbit's pace, never giving Natasha for more than 2-4 pages to play with each character. The flashbacks also work well, cutting right into the dialogue and ellaborating on the matters at hand. My favorite part of the book is the wide range of jobs, abilities and scenarios Widow has to deal with. The versality alone makes this a great character; for espionage isn't the only element she can deal with.

This art in this mini is also impressive. Much like JH Williams III's work on the last arc in Detective Comics, the different looking art in current storyline and flashback works wonders. It's not so different you think it's another book, but it has no problem referring to the Silver Age of comics to deliver its point. The Ivan/Daredevil scenes involving jealous eyes are among the best at conveying this. Let's hope with the Iron Man 2 movie coming sooner than you think, that sales of Black Widow's books get as hot as she looks.

4/5 Bags&Boards - Excellent mini, with Paul Cornelle unafraid of using the choppy storytelling method to perfection, in hopes of reloading the character's popularity.

Wow, I can see I'm going to be the only one reviewing this book again...lol...and can we change the thread from Deadly Origin to just Black Widow?

Black Widow #1

Now that's how you make a #1 issue! Marjorie Lie, of Dark Wolverine fame, constructs a book that steers away from the instant-cash obviousness (okay, so maybe not a little, since Tony's in this issue), and looks to make things interesting in the long run. The tides are certainly turned on Natasha/Natalia off the get-go, as the "whodunit" is not exactly who you think. While a strange ending occurs between a perfectly-emulated Hugh Jackman Logan and Widow's would-be assassin, it certainly sets the precedence for more.

Daniel Acuna is no stranger to the noir/espionage artform, taking turns both penciling detail and painting shadows that give the book the dark, violent edge needed. The violence in the comic is not senseless, mind you; it's more a take on films and television programs that depict the shadowey horrors of the inner-cities. This is the overall vibe a Black Widow book should have. If Liu and Acuna continue along the intriguing path they've already laid out, then Black Widow should have no problem filling the void left over from Spider-Woman.

For those who missed the Black Widow: Deadly Origin mini, or for those unfamiliar with the character herself, there's an added BW Saga in the ish that concisely details her past. It's also helpful in figuring our which trades to find to get readers up to speed. Thing is, the #1 issue was so good and lengthy, I had no problem shelling out the $4 anyway.

Now that's how you make a #1 issue! Marjorie Lie, of Dark Wolverine fame, constructs a book that steers away from the instant-cash obviousness (okay, so maybe not a little, since Tony's in this issue), and looks to make things interesting in the long run. The tides are certainly turned on Natasha/Natalia off the get-go, as the "whodunit" is not exactly who you think. While a strange ending occurs between a perfectly-emulated Hugh Jackman Logan and Widow's would-be assassin, it certainly sets the precedence for more.

Daniel Acuna is no stranger to the noir/espionage artform, taking turns both penciling detail and painting shadows that give the book the dark, violent edge needed. The violence in the comic is not senseless, mind you; it's more a take on films and television programs that depict the shadowey horrors of the inner-cities. This is the overall vibe a Black Widow book should have. If Liu and Acuna continue along the intriguing path they've already laid out, then Black Widow should have no problem filling the void left over from Spider-Woman.

For those who missed the Black Widow: Deadly Origin mini, or for those unfamiliar with the character herself, there's an added BW Saga in the ish that concisely details her past. It's also helpful in figuring our which trades to find to get readers up to speed. Thing is, the #1 issue was so good and lengthy, I had no problem shelling out the $4 anyway.

4/5 Black Roses - Very enjoyable

Totally agree with your review. This was a great first issue for a mid-level character like Black Widow. I'm glad she's getting this push because there's a lot of potential there. I love her relationship with Bucky and the fact that she's so close to Logan and Tony. The backup saga was really great for everyone that's new to the character too. I was surprised by the route Liu took on this, but I really like what she did. Acuña's art was very well suited for the book's tone too. Good start, hopefully this book lasts for awhile.

Series continues to be good with its healthy heap of guest stars. Funny seeing Hawkeye here...hmmm...Not sure if I care for Acuna's take on Wolvie with his "stache," though the X-Men movie jacket is a nice touch. Bucky Cap looks awesome. As for the story itself, it continues the espionage tale that someone is out to 'get' Natalia. Someone is setting her up. But who?

Really, though, this series is doing some good things and no one's noticing. Last week the press clippings were BARE. I didn't see this reviewed anywhere....I'd like to read someone else's perspective on this title for once!

Sure this issue wasn't terribly memorable, but it had a lot going for it..especially Daniel Acuna's painterly art. Give it a shot and let me know what you think..

I don't get it. Liu and Acuña were doing a good job on this so what's the point in changing direction already? The only logical explanation to me is that Liu got promoted to a bigger name book.

I think she's going to be doing the new X-23 book.

Oh yeah I had heard that. But I wonder why they took her off Black Widow cuz she could have written both. It seemed like she was building a long term story here so I don't get why they would take her off unless it was for a big name creator, which Swierczynski is not.

I'm sure this title won't last very long anyway, but it would have been nice if Liu at least got to tell a full story about 10-12 issues long.

Just finished up issue 5 and I have to say that this book was a lot better than I expected it to be. I didn't think it'd be bad, but most Marvel B-Level character books tend to be just okay. Here's hoping that the next arc is anywhere near as good as this one was.